Uber vows to end 'brilliant jerks' culture as boss Travis Kalanick keeps job

Uber has admitted changes are needed at the scandal-ridden company, but have publicly supported embattled chief executive Travis Kalanick.

The taxi app has been hit by a wave of recent controversies, including the release of a video showing Mr Kalanick shouting at a disgruntled driver who complained about the company's pay scale.

In a conference call with reporters, Uber board member Arianna Huffington, who co-founded The Huffington Post, said that "going forward" there could be "no room at Uber for brilliant jerks".

She also said there would be "zero tolerance for anything but totally respectable behaviour in an equitable workplace environment".

Defending Mr Kalanick, she said: "It is clear that Uber and the whole ride-share industry would not be what it is today without Travis.

"He started as a scrappy entrepreneur, and now he needs to bring about the changes in himself and the way he leads that are appropriate to a big company."

There are now plans to appoint a chief operating officer to work as a partner with Mr Kalanick, 40, who last month admitted he needed help to "grow up".

Ms Huffington, Uber's only female board member, was one of three women on the conference call, along with company executives Liane Hornsey and Rachel Holt.

Mr Kalanick did not take part in the briefing.

Uber is currently conducting an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by a former female engineer.

On the call, Ms Huffington promised things would change.

Human resources chief Liane Hornsey said training and internal changes were being made to promote diversity, fair play and teamwork among staff.

Ms Holt, who oversees the company's US and Canada business, said Uber was also making changes to its app and support network to improve conditions for drivers.

She denied the controversies had impacted the company's business, despite a #DeleteUber social media campaign, saying new riders were joining and existing users were taking more trips.

Elsewhere, Uber is facing a lawsuit after being accused of steal designs for autonomous car technology by Google parent Alphabet, something it denies.

The scandals have caused a string of top executives to leave the company, including president Jeff Jones, who quit after just six months saying the company was incompatible with his "beliefs and approach to leadership".